Enterprise Management for Computer Scientists

The unit enables students to critically analyse a range of issues that business managers face using a range of business tools and techniques.  The tools are explained in lectures and students are then encouraged to apply them in separate case study sessions.  Analysis often reveals a number of conflicting factors and students are required to make judgements based on evidence that justifies their decisions.

Available to Computer Science students ONLY.

This unit cannot be taken with MCEL30001/MCEL30002 or MCEL30011/MCEL30012.

The unit aims to:

• Explore the role of enterprises competing in a market.
• Critically evaluate the issues to be considered in developing and bringing to market a knowledge based idea.

Strategy, the Market and Planning (1)

• What does a business do?
• The external macro environment
• Industry analysis

 PESTEL Case Study

Strategy, the Market and Planning (3-4)

• Competitor analysis
• Positioning within a market
• Marketing strategy, incl. the 4 Ps
• Product development and renewal

Directed Reading – forms of business and funding
Strategy, the Market and Planning (5)

• Marketing Research
• Business Sustainability

 Technology Exploitation

• Developing and protecting intellectual property

Lectures

The unit will be delivered as a series of lectures with case studies and in- class activities for students to work on both alone and in small informal groups. 

The lecture will be supported by Blackboard including  lecture notes, case studies, resource web links,  discussion boards and wikis.

Students should be able to:

Explain the main forms of organisation/business structure and their main advantages/ disadvantages.
Identify and explain which types of intellectual property protection are relevant to a particular product or service and explain how knowledge may be protected and commercialised.
Explain the legal and ethical issues facing an enterprise.

Students should be able to:

Analyse the products/services of appropriate organisations with reference to factors including technology, IP, sustainability and market conditions.
Critically evaluate a diverse range of sources of information to be used as the basis of a report.

Students should be able to:

Use databases and search engines to collect information about different organisations.
Perform a simple analysis of the competitive environment to determine  essential links to product/service development.

Students should be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to reflect meaningfully on the course via personal reflective log.
Manage personal time resource effectively so as to deliver completed tasks to deadlines.

Formative assessment: – marks not used

Task related to assignment

Summative assessments:

Reflective log - 2000 words, 70%

Business Report - 500 words, 30%

• Attending lectures, joining discussions about case studies and doing short work tasks set within the lecture session.
• Your lecturer will reply to brief individual questions at the end of each lecture session, if there are a few minutes to spare.
• Your lecturer will provide brief replies to your e-mailed enquiry.
• Your lecturer may feedback messages to the whole class via Blackboard if the point that you have raised could be of benefit to the whole class.

 Main Texts

•        "Exploring Corporate Strategy", G Johnson, K Scholes and R Whittington, Published by Prentice Hall

•        "The Business Enterprise Handbook", Colin Barrow, Robert Barrow, Liz Clarke, Published by Kogan Page

Recommended Reading

•        "Competitive Strategy", Michael Porter, Free Press

•        "Marketing Research for Managers", Crouch & M Housden Butterworth-Heinemann

Additional References

•        "Strategic Entrepreneurship - A Decision Making Approach". Philip Wickham, Published by Prentice Hall

•        "Principles and Practice of Marketing", David Jobber, Published by McGraw-Hill 2001 ISBN 0077096134

Available to Computer Science students ONLY.

This unit cannot be taken with MCEL30001/MCEL30002 or MCEL30011/MCEL30012.

For Academic Year 2024/5

Updated: March 2024

Approved by: March UG Committee